Postgraduate Module Descriptor


SOCM021: Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption

This module descriptor refers to the 2024/5 academic year.

Overview

NQF Level7
Credits30 ECTS Value15
Term(s) and duration

This module ran during term 2 (11 weeks)

Academic staff

Professor Harry G West (Lecturer)

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Available via distance learning

No

This module critically examines the workings of food systems, from the global scale to the local. You will study the globalization of trade in agriculture and food, including arguments for and against trade liberalization, as well as the idea of food sovereignty. You will examine food poverty, from famines to food deserts, and critically analyze the concept of food security in diverse contexts. You will also study a range of alternative food movements and networks as well as forms of ethical consumption, such as fair trade, organics, and transitions towns, with a focus on how these might create more viable livelihoods and contribute to environmental sustainability. You will also examine the use of food and foodways in the development of cultural economies and in the preservation of cultural heritage.

Module created

12/03/2018

Last revised

20/12/2023